The start of the 2011-12 season has not been the most promising for freshman. As Tyler discussed on Thursday, the Pac 12 had hoped to return to prominence on the backs of its first year players, but it just hasn't happened. The reduced sized Big 12 has an interesting array of teams. The most successful of late has been Kansas, but their freshmen were mostly deemed ineligible, so it has fallen on their rival Texas to provide a wealth of first year players. Baylor and Missouri look like the top two teams in the conference, but only Baylor has a significant freshman influence. We'll take a roundabout look at the first year players and how they are holding up after the first month of the season. I wrote about Jordan Tolbert last week in the surprises, so I decided to skip him this week.
Quincy Miller, forward, Baylor Bears
In the early going while Perry Jones was out on a five-game suspension, Miller looked like he would run away with the conference Freshman of the Year award. The 6-foot-9 forward from Chicago looked as if he had never suffered an ACL injury in his high school senior season as he amassed 17 points or more four times in his first five games. He scored a season-high 20 points in the win over San Diego State. In his final game before Jones' return, Miller put up a 17-point, 11-rebound, six-assist game in a win over Texas-Arlington. Miller did not play in Jones' first game back because of a tender left ankle. He returned in the blowout win over Northwestern, but only had three points on two shots. Miller will likely settle into a nice double digit scoring pattern, but there will be some bumps along the way as Miller and Jones adjust to playing together.
Le'Bryan Nash, forward, Oklahoma State Cowboys
No player came into the Big 12 season with as much hype as the 6-foot-7 Nash. The 230 pounder has the look of an NBA athlete, but he needed to be benched for the majority of a game (Nov. 25 loss to Virginia Tech) to get his attitude adjusted. Coach Travis Ford did not like the hustle level of his first year player, so he only played 11 minutes in the loss to the Hokies. The move seemed to have worked as Nash has provided 18.3 points off the Cowboy bench in the last three games. He had a career-high 21 points in the Nov. 30 win over Tulsa and 19 points in the Dec. 7 win over Missouri State. Nash may eventually get his starting spot back (he started the first four games of the season) and will sprinkle some double-doubles in with his renewed production. Turnovers (3.0 per game) are a problem, but that is not surprising.
Myck Kabongo, guard, Texas Longhorns
Texas came into the season with reduced expectations. Still, Longhorn fans were hopeful that the team would fare well in the Big 12, but they had to be concerned when they dropped consecutive games to Oregon State and North Carolina State in the first week of the season. Texas has bounced back with four straight wins (against mediocre competition including UCLA) and Kabongo is showing that he is first rate point guard. The 6-foot-1 Canadian import is averaging 6.0 assists and 10.5 points. Fantasy owners were concerned when he scored a combined five points in two games, but he has responded by providing at least 13 points in his last three, along with 22 assists. Kabongo is a lousy shooter and is making just 27.8% of his threes, but he is doing an excellent job of setting up the offense and should have the ball in his hands a lot as the season continues.
Jonathan Holmes, forward, Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns were particularly shallow in the frontcourt after Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton decided to leave Austin early. Gary Johnson also graduated. Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman are big bodies, but not particularly skilled. The 6-foot-7 Holmes has provided some offensive spark and had a string of five straight double digit scoring games. Like Kabongo, Holmes is not a good three-point shooter, but that doesn't stop him from hoisting from long range. He is hitting just 26.7% of his threes, but that makes his 53.2% from the field that much more impressive. Holmes fell off to a combined 12 points in his last two games as he dealt with foul trouble against UCLA and Texas-Arlington. Fouls have been a recurrent issue. If he can do a better job of hiding his misdeeds, he is a double-double candidate.
Sheldon McClellan, guard, Texas Longhorns
With Kabongo and J'Covan Brown nicely settled into the starting guard roles, the 6-foot-4 McClellan must come off the bench. He had adjusted to the role nicely. The freshman has provided a good offensive spark and provided a career-high 23 points in the win over the Mavericks on Dec. 6. He hit a season-high four three-pointers and is the best Longhorn from the perimeter (42.3%). McClellan does not do much beyond scoring and hasn't had an assist in his last five games. He does a nice job within the perimeter and has made 61.9% of his two-point shots. If Brown continues to falter, look for McClellan to get more playing time and score well.
Thomas Gipson, forward, Kansas State Wildcats
Like Miller, Gipson was the beneficiary of an early season suspension. Jamar Samuels had to sit the first two regular season games and the 6-foot-7 Gipson made an early impression. After playing just 16 minutes in the opener and providing two points, Gipson provided 19 points in the win over Loyola (IL) and a combined 30 points and 22 rebounds in his next two games. Samuels has taken the lead role in the frontcourt since returning, but Gipson has not disappeared. He is averaging 12.5 points and had a double-double in the double-overtime loss to West Virginia on Thursday. The freshman has not played in more than 28 minutes in a game, but he should be a steady source of double-doubles for the Wildcats.
Toddrick Gotcher, guard, Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders look like they are in for a long season. They have already lost four games and were beaten by Indiana State and TCU. If there is hope for the future, it comes from Tolbert and 6-foot-3 combo guard Gotcher. He has started every game for the Red Raiders and been an excellent source of perimeter shooting (54.5% on threes). The problem is that Gotcher doesn't shoot enough. He has only attempted more than five shots twice and has only scored in double digits three times. The team doesn't have a solid point guard, so Gotcher is providing offensive facilitation and leading the team with 2.8 assists. He did have seven dimes against the Horned Frogs. Gotcher is getting excellent experience and should be a player to watch in future seasons.